Q and A
Contents
What types of audio cables are there?
There are many types of cables. Roughly speaking, they can be divided into cables for a digital signal and cables for an analog signal. Within those segments there are, of course, many species. Within analog you have for example cables for line signal (often called interlinks) and cables for signal to the speakers (speaker cable). Interlinks are balanced (3-pole) and single ended (2-pole).
With digital signals there are more flavors. There are spdif cables with an optical connection (toslink), and electrical: coaxial, BNC and AES. We also see other kinds of connections coming. Think of hdmi for I2S transmission, Ethernet and USB.
We’d almost forget about mains cables – power cords. They also have an important function.
Which digital cable is best?
That’s hard to say. It depends on how the manufacturer has installed the interface (connection). There is a hierarchy, but it does not always apply. So be sure to try it. The hierarchy we apply:
- I2S (which is often an hdmi or Ethernet connection to the d/a converter. Sometimes also coaxial)
- BNC
- AES4
- Coaxial
- Optical
- USB
However, Usb can also be very well implemented. USB also has advantages over coaxial and optical: it can process native DSD. However, the connection is often less attractive due to power noise.
Which brand of cable is best?
You just can’t say that. We test cables quite often at Alpha Audio. Every brand has its own signature. And if that signature fits, it’s good. However, do not expect earth-shattering differences. A cable is not an equalizer. And you shouldn’t use them for that either. If you want to compensate gross errors with cables, you are not doing a good job.
Do cables make an audible difference in sound?
Yeah. A cable does have a sound signature. The better, the less this is audible. However, not every cable has the same influence. For example, digital interlinks have less influence than analogue interlinks. With network cables, the difference is even very small (but audible).
What many people forget is the influence of power/mains cables. We advise you to really try that if you haven’t already done so. In many set-ups the difference is clearly audible in rest and control.
